Son of Typhon
by sadistic lunatic
Summary: ::Battle Fic:: Squall Leonhart has faced manipulators of time and swordsmen of all calibers, but what about a fallen warrior that is both? It is time to put his skills to the test! Get ready, fight! -I feel high on life so do read the A/N inside-


_**A/N:**_ So, I was travelling through the underground again as usual, minding my own business, when again I passed _that_ huge poster promoting FFXIII-2 that shows Caius and Lightning fighting in the background while Serah and Serge-er, I mean- Noel are in the foreground trying to look busy. My eyes were once again drawn to Caius', ah, sword, and had I not been in a public area, I would have face-palmed when I realized something now that I paid attention to the damn thing; this was _just_ begging to be written.

Yes, this is **_me trolling_** now. Feel free to ignore~~ After the seriousness of _A Little Bit of Forgiveness_, I felt like cutting loose.

I did read up on Caius' bio just for this fic, though there really wasn't anything in particular to take note of.

And lol at XIII-2's parodying Cloud's burial of Aerith in FF7 and the Squall vs Ultimecia fight in Dissidia!

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><p>The ominous clanking of metal over the shallow waters bathing the Order's Sanctuary forced Squall's eyes open, coolly studying the purple-haired Warrior of Chaos who halted in his approach.<p>

"You are alone?" Caius Ballad coolly remarked, his purple orbs scanning the battlefield for hidden threats before focusing back on the solitary lion leaning calmly against a pillar with his arms folded.

He received a blank stare.

"…Are you blind?" Squall deadpanned before kicking himself off the pillar.

"I am disappointed. Has _Etro's Knight_ chosen to flee?"

"_No_." Squall stated.

A moment of silence passed as Caius waited for the man to continue before he realized that one word was all he was going to say.

The Farseer Guardian chose not to dignify the lion cub with a reply but instead drew the massive blade from his back before pointing it at the scarred man, the dark steel glinting threateningly with promises of retribution should its wielder not receive a satisfactory answer. "Where is your _goddess, _mercenary?"

Steel blue eyes studied the armored man's stance with a calculating glint. Squall's attention lingered on the unusual shape of the man's unusual weapon, his lips sealed into a thin line.

"You are not going to speak?" Purple eyes narrowed at the man's silence.

In response, Squall's revolver shimmered into existence to stare Caius' weapon down.

"I see." Caius' stance lowered with a dark glint in his eyes at the choice the Warrior of Cosmos made. The eye of his blade pulsed with power begging to be unleashed. "I shall pry my answers from your dying lips, then. Lightning will rue her inability to protect her allies."

The armored man was met with a bored, but not at all relaxed stare before Squall commented tightly. "You're _still_ talking."

"Fool!" Power erupted in waves from Caius' weapon as he directed the blade upwards before slamming it down, sending a surge of unadulterated magick that split the ground they stood on in its angry wake.

Squall's body was immediately in motion, running towards the blast before sidestepping it at the very last moment. The mercenary didn't even flinch when the ground below him erupted upwards, the force of Caius' power literally destroying the Sanctuary's holy grounds; Squall continued running with a purpose. Large, insect-like beasts seeped out from the ruined earth and the tumultuous waters surrounding Cosmos' lair, and the bearer of the _Heart of Chaos_ let out a triumphant smirk at the lone mortal foolishly trying to oppose his might.

Never one to bow down even before a god's wrath, the mercenary sprinted forward.

"_Lion's Heart!"_ The steel of Squall's revolver pulsed with his roar before it exploded with tightly constrained power, the metal pulsing with an electric blue edge that sang with anticipation.

Like the plague, the swarm rushed at the man without care for their life as they made to harvest the mercenary's own.

Gunblade met neck as the first of the _Pantopodas_ found its head cleanly cut off. Not one to stand idle in battle, Caius met with the charging Squall, piezoelectric sparks igniting when the pressure of their battle spirits met blade against blade, each strike meant to end its foe with one hit.

"Weak!" Caius shouted when he found an opening in Squall's guard as the mercenary's arm overextended after he parried yet another crushing blow, and thrust his blade upwards. Knowing that the strike was coming, Squall had already pulled the trigger of his gunblade and once more dug his metal against Caius' own.

The strength behind the Warrior of Chaos' blow was not one to be trifled with and Caius had sent Squall flying from the ledge they stood on.

Squall grunted as he righted himself in mid-air. The rapid fluttering of wings made the mercenary turn around and, in an inhuman display of agility, throw his weight downwards to dodge a decapitating strike from the creeping beast and dig his blade in the _Pantopoda's_ chest before planting his feet firmly on the its body and pulling the trigger of his weapon.

Caius had given chase to the flying mercenary with the intent of finishing the fight there when the man had suddenly shot himself towards him like a cerulean bullet. The Warrior of Chaos barely had time to react as he drew his blade forward, blocking the full force of Squall's attack, and grunted when the unrelenting mercenary continued, punching the both of them through one of the raised cliffs that littered the battlefield Caius-first.

"Insolence!" The Warrior of Chaos shouted angrily before he attempted to swat the man away when they burst through the other side of the raised ground. Squall immediately drew back, allowing the full force of the man's blade to pass by him and the mercenary continued his attack.

They were evenly matched in mid-air. The mad Guardian could not call upon his full strength with the lack of any stable footing, and though his muscles created power far above that of a normal warrior, Squall was able to return Caius' attacks with the strength granted to him by his _Junctions_.

"Get away from me, _beast!_" Caius' eyes flashed red and a wave of dark flares crashed into the SeeD who couldn't dodge the attack from such close proximity.

Squall's body hit the ground with a few quick rolls, buffering the impact while immediately putting out the dark embers before they could do any more damage before coming out of his last roll on bended knee and directed a menacing glare upwards as the Warrior of Chaos floated down back onto the ground, sword held in his usual _ready_ reverse grip.

In that instant when Caius' greaves touched the surface, swarms of the man's summon beasts renewed their onslaught and Squall once more exploded into action, hacking and slashing at everything that came within his field of aggression.

"You struggle well, _mercenary_."

Caius couldn't help but comment as the man tore through the beasts without pause, each strike growing in ferocity. Even he could tell that should the onslaught continue, the numerical might of the _Pantopoda's_ would not be able to overcome the calculated butchering the Warrior of Cosmos laid waste.

But that wasn't what they were for; Caius now knew that in order to subdue the lion, he had to stay away from its fang.

"But your struggle ends here!" Another pulse of power was unleashed from his blade as he slammed his massive blade against the ground, sending the unleashed energy racing towards the crowd.

Squall, who had just bought himself breathing space from his attackers when they met their fatal destinies by stepping into his _fated circle_, was unprepared for the shockwave that hit him, sending both him and the remaining insect-like beasts hurling away from the armored Guardian. With his eyes once more glowing red, Caius thrust his blade skyward where dark clouds started to swirl and congregate directly above him.

Recovering from the attack, Squall stood up with a pained grunt before directing his eyes above where a red circle of magick gathered. Already knowing what the man was planning, Squall grasped the handle of his weapon before he, too, thrust his blade towards the sky.

"Fall!" Caius shouted when his spell had completed, not at all caring that the man hadn't attacked him while he completed his spell.

A huge meteor slowly descended through the clouds, tinier burning rocks breaking off from it before raining down on the battlefield. Countless summoned beasts perished from the assault and Caius glared triumphantly at his victory only for a surge of magick to grab his attention.

"How do you like this?" A crimson blade of light cut through the heavens, extending far beyond the sky's limit before Squall brought slashed his weapon downwards like an angry god, cutting Caius' summoned meteor cleanly in half before it dissipated into the void it came from, the ring of magick crumbling under the might of Squall's attack.

Caius' body flickered out of existence as he used his abilities to manipulate time to get out of the lethal _blasting zone_. He panted from the sudden exertion as he stared at the aftermath of Squall's rage. The ground he had stood on was evenly split in half, the melted rock simmering and smoking from the heat of Squall's weapon.

His heart pounded against his ears; it seemed the mercenary was even more dangerous to fight away from.

The sounds of boots running towards him drew his attention back to the front just as the man appeared in front of him.

"Let your guard down?" Squall taunted before swiping his blade. His fang was denied its meal as it passed through empty space.

"Hardly." Caius' voice from above him resounded. The Guardian had his weapon clasped firmly in his hand as he glared down on the mercenary. "Consider yourself fortunate. I am willing to give you one _last_ chance to answer me, mercenary. Squander it at _your_ peril." Squall stood his ground as he returned the man's glare, never flinching at the dangerous seriousness in Caius' question. "Where is _your_ goddess?"

Squall's mind was already decided since before their battle even started and it showed in his eyes, making Caius' eyes narrow in anger. Lowering his center of gravity, the mercenary prepared for whatever onslaught the bearer of_ Etro's Heart_ was planning to unleash. "Go talk to a wall."

"Very well, then." There was a silent fury in Caius tone. The eye of his blade, the eidolith _Ragnarok_, revealed all of its deathly crimson glory. "Know that you brought this upon _yourself_."

Gale winds roared as a cloud of dust and smoke swirled around Caius before completely obscuring him from Squall's gaze. Not a moment later did the mercenary leap into the air with a roar, gunpowder igniting as he fired his weapon and shot towards the man like a blue comet before pointing it forward to run his blade through the storm.

But he was too late.

An obsidian claw shot out of the cloud and held his _Lionheart _in a steady grip, the force of such a feat instantly banishing the clouds surrounding Caius and revealing the towering form of _Chaos Bahamut_ in its menacing majesty; Caius had merged himself with the _Dragon King Eidolon_, just like Lightning said he would.

The mighty beast roared angrily as it reared its other claw back with full intent of decapitating the bound man.

But Squall had other ideas.

Firing another shell from his weapon, Squall ignored the beast's pained cry as his blade swept through its hide before ducking under the claw strike and closing the short distance between man and dragon, swinging his blade diagonally to cleave its arm.

The dragon suddenly vanished- Caius was once again using his abilities to manipulate time- before a large shadow cast upon him. Squall looked up just as the beast let out a roar, unleashing the angry flames of its _Mega Flare_ in searing streams down at its adversary.

Instead of running, Squall pointed his fang towards the sky as his body shimmered with red light; there wasn't time to gather the magick to extend his blade and he knew he couldn't outrun the wyvern, and with their current battlefield granting the flying beast a terrain advantage, Squall decided to play his trump card as he stood his ground.

"Urgh," Squall grunted as the intense heat bared down on him, the stream of fire parting around him as he drove his revolver through the attack. Immediately, the mercenary could tell the ground surrounding him give way to the flames, melting back into burning lava and leaving him standing on an earthly pillar awaiting the result of his gamble; a slow death or a chance to survive.

Knowing it was only a matter of time before the foolish human's strength would give way to his might, _Chaos Bahamut_ roared again, renewing its fiery attack as the purple flames gained even more power while the wyvern hovered above the mortal.

So engrossed was the harbinger of destruction with its attack on the rooted man- especially now that it saw the human crumble upon one knee- that it did not notice as the mercenary's spell had completed until the first wave of molten rock crashed against its scaly wings and knocking it out of the air.

It quickly righted itself in the air and twisted around with a snarl towards its knew assailant only to widen its eyes, its growl dying in its throat as the dragon instinctively spread its arms to catch the meteor tip that dug onto its hide as rest of the familiar celestial mass plowed onto his body.

Seeing that his gamble had paid off, Squall stilled his breath before pushing himself back to a ready stance, pointing his gunblade upwards and channeling his magick once more to bring down the obsidian beast once and for all with a pincer attack. He disciplined the fog of pain with his mind, standing up to fight even as every pore of his body painfully opened from the slow-baking he had been subjected to.

_This_ was his chance.

It was time to seal the beast.

Gaining the ability to summon the meteor was simple really; _Draw_ magick. The bane of every Sorceress, for it was the second ability the _Guardian Forces_ granted those they deemed worthy of housing them which evened the battlefield against the mighty, _Hyne_-cursed mages. No matter _what_ spell mages had at their disposal, given enough time and most especially _contact_, the _Guardian Forces_ would copy the spell for their _contractors_ to be used at their leisure.

And _what_ a spell Shiva had acquired for him this time.

Chaos Bahamut's eyes darted towards the mortal and snarled in alarm when it realized what he was planning. The mighty beast could not gather the concentration to use its abilities to manipulate time- nor was he sure it could stop a mass _this_ large.

Was the lion suicidal? Did it plan to end _both_ their lives here?

The flames of hatred once more ignited in the eyes of the beast.

He would not fall! If he allowed himself to fall _here_, then Yeul's suffering would continue for all eternity!

Taking his _own_ gamble, Caius disengaged himself from his fusion with his Eidolon, Bahamut, to rain down on the detestable trickster with his weapon poised for the kill, leaving the obsidian wyvern to do its best in slowing down the meteor fall until he could kill its caster.

"Eat this!" Squall growled up at the heavens as the wyvern-made pillar of rock he had been standing on crumbled and he fell backwards, his _Lionheart_ once again pulsing with concentrated energy before it extended upwards.

Caius could not dodge such a blow completely as he freely fell, yet did not flinch even as the blade pierced through his shoulder and continued its deathly journey, skewering his Eidolon through its heart before continuing upwards to pierce the large meteor.

It took the _Farseer __Guardian_ but a moment to realize that his gamble had spectacularly _failed_ when he registered the triumphant smirk on the red-faced mercenary's lips even as Squall neared the ground.

"Take _this!_" The scarred man shouted before slamming his blade downwards just as the meteor dispelled after Squall's extended blade destroyed its summon circle. Caius and Bahamut both hit the ground _hard_, forming two distinct craters on the remains of the Order's Sanctuary- which no longer looked like the battleground it once was- and Squall used _their_ impact to buffer _his_ own fall.

Both warriors, drained and beaten, struggled to stand before glaring at each other.

The mercenary was a dangerous foe, Caius realized. They both knew Caius had the upper-hand in every respect; even before the damned _Goddess Etro_ had granted him the power needed to protect _Farseer_ _Paddra Nsu-Yeul- his_ Yeul- Caius was a formidable warrior and l'Cie. His many years of battle since being granted his new _Focus_ by Etro had honed his abilities and strength, pushing his swordsmanship to levels very few could realize, and he had gained many more skills than his original repertoire.

He had observed the lion fight before. How could he not, when the scarred man appeared wherever his adversary, _Lightning Farron_, was? Caius had seen the extent of Squall's capabilities and was _not_ impressed in the slightest, for the man wielded _mediocre_ magicks and all his other attacks relied on channeling magick through his metal fang.

A child could do similar, and a child _had_ wielded better spells.

It was only now when the violet dragon was face-to-face with the black lion when Caius realized that Squall's strength did not rely on his skills- the man had thus far abstained from directly confronting him blow for blow as Lightning Farron did- but with his mind. It seemed Squall knew the extent of his capabilities and fought accordingly.

A true master of his weapon.

But Caius would _not_ fall here. The Warrior of Chaos- the bearer of Etro's _Heart of Chaos_- would _not_ allow himself to fall until he had succeeded his mission; until he could free _Yeul_ from her suffering, he would continue fighting and only death would claim him.

"You _bastard,_" Caius panted. Life_blood_ seeped from his shoulder and dripped onto his blade, his legs protesting at being forced to support his entire weight. "_You_ cannot be allowed to _live_."

"Hmph," Squall grunted, raising his gunblade and holding it with both of his hands. He was tired, incredibly so, and his skin still felt like it was on fire, his lungs struggling to function properly amidst the damage from the scalding steam he had inhaled. "_All…talk."_

Hyne, even talking_ hurt._

Caius confidence returned as he appraised his foe; the man looked dead on his feet. He supposed that _maybe_ he looked the same, but Squall looked even _deader_ than what he felt in himself. He would win this and claim his prize. It didn't matter anymore if the mercenary would not speak of the _Goddess_ _of Harmony_ or _Lightning Farron's_ whereabouts; he'd simply scour through these lands and destroy _everything_ in his path until he obtained the power to defy _gods_.

Raising his weapon with a steady grip, Caius stilled his breathing.

Squall's eyes once more studied the man's weapon keenly; his suspicions had already been confirmed since the first shockwave the man had thrown at him.

It seemed he could still win this, after all. His body just needed to hold up.

Luckily, that _wasn't_ a problem for the lion.

Without warning, Caius suddenly appeared in front of him, swinging his weapon with the intent to cleave Squall's legs in place to prevent the lion from running. Reacting mostly by instinct, Squall pulled the trigger of his gunblade, directing the recoil to swing his weapon rather than use his arms, and piezoelectric sparks once more flew as their swords clashed.

_Lion's Heart_ met _Dragon's Fang_ again and again, neither refusing to give an inch.

Seeing that his adversary was already adjusted to his attacks, pillars of dark _firaga_'s erupted from the Caius' body. "Perish!"

It seemed that Squall had the same idea too, as he quickly pulled the trigger of his weapon after parrying another slash before using the recoil to swing his arm backwards to thrust his weapon forward, the mercenary's body gaining a familiar red hue as he attempted to _drive_ his gunblade through the armored man with a fatalistic roar "This is the end!"

Squall's blade pierced through the flames only to once again miss his target; Caius was taking full advantage of his abilities to manipulate time. The lion continued to attack, not at all disconcerted.

Like _that_ was new to him.

The swordfight continued, Squall's blade missing Caius every time while Caius' attacks couldn't punch a hole through Squall's impenetrable defense.

A flash of blue made Caius instinctively halt time once more, sidestepping the strike and bringing his blade down on the man's arm. Despite not cancelling his spell, Squall's weapon still managed to block the attack, the mercenary seemingly overcoming his tight hold on time with sheer willpower.

No. Squall _was_ overcoming the test of time _with_ sheer willpower.

Caius ducked another swipe at his head, twisting his body to spin around the man before pouncing upwards, intent on stabbing his weapon through the SeeD's back. Again, Squall pulled the trigger of his gunblade, using the recoil to jerk his body to spin and parrying the armored man's stab with uncanny precision before again the trigger was pulled and Squall made to stab Caius's chest, and once more the Warrior of Chaos was forced to use his power to dodge.

It was simply absurd, Caius found, that the man was able to keep up with him, that the control he had over time, a power he used to deal damaging and even finishing strikes, could not strike down the lion, but instead it only bought him seconds to _dodge;_ he could _not_ deal swift retribution upon the defiant mortal despite his ability to manipulate time. It irritated Caius, and that irritation would prove to be his undoing as he didn't realize that he was losing ground whilst their dance progressed; each second before Squall broke through his bindings was getting shorter than the last, and each strike the scarred Warrior of Cosmos dealt was getting a hair's width closer to lopping Warrior of Chaos' head off. Caius' strength was failing him with his repeated use of his skill, while Squall seemed to be adjusting _somehow_.

Lionheart once more clashed against Ragnarok when Caius blurred into existence, and once again Squall attempted to drive his weapon through Caius' chest.

But this time, the lion's fang met its target as the tip managed to pierce through the dragon's hide.

"Urk!" Caius spluttered in disbelief- _how_ had he? !- before Squall, realizing that _this_ was his chance, immediately pressed on his attack. Gunpowder ignited and the gunblade in his chest vibrated _painfully_, cutting through his armor as it came out of his side. Ignoring the pain- and blood- in his bleeding side, Caius took a step back out of the lion's reach.

Squall wouldn't let up as he took a step forward with an downward slash, ignoring his every muscle that were screaming in exertion. "This is it!"

Not willing for the fight to end like _this_, Caius drew his blade upwards to block the man's strike, one of the teeth of his Ragnarok digging into the man's Lionheart.

A smirk twitched on Squall's mouth as the moment he had been waiting for arrived, and he pulled the trigger of his gunblade.

The loud _bang_ of gunpowder igniting heralded the end of the battle between the two beasts.

Caius watched in hollow surprise as his weapon was swiped from his grip to clatter beside the mercenary, who had used the recoil of his attack to spin kick the fallen Warrior of Chaos, further pushing him away from his weapon.

Immediately, Squall's blade was pressed against Caius' throat.

"It's over." Squall growled through his pain.

"…" Caius breathed deeply, pressing one hand to his side. He thought about cauterizing the wound but any surge of magick would probably prompt the mercenary to deal the finishing blow. A low chuckle left his lips as the realized that _this_ was his chance. "Go ahead. End it."

Squall's brows met as he directed a suspicious glare at the Warrior of Chaos. "…"

Seeing the mercenary's will falter, Caius immediately shot his hand forward, the beginnings of a _dark firaga _erupting on from his palm before Squall immediately cut the offending limb off and once again leveled his weapon on the bearer of Etro's Heart.

A choked scream left Caius' lips as he curled on his side, grasping the stump of his arm as it continued to spurt out blood with each of his heart's beat.

"What are you _planning_?" Squall growled, kicking the man's chest so that he was staring down on the fallen warrior.

"Heheh…" Caius chuckled darkly as he leveled the mercenary with a baleful glare while gasping out. "Ending… me will only… pass my _curse…_ on to you!"

Squall's eyes narrowed. He did _not_ like the sound of that. "Your curse?"

Maybe it was the blood loss, or maybe it was the fact that he had finally found the man to end his curse, but Caius let out a savage grin. "You shall now _bear_ _Etro's Heart! The Heart of Chaos!"_

"…" Squall glared down at the maddened man and raised his blade high, the steel blue Lionheart glinting menacingly. "Not interested."

"You don't _have_ a choice." Caius spat, blood dripping down his lips. "It is either _that_ or allow time to _end_ all existence!"

"_Not interested_." The mercenary repeated calmly.

"You… fought well… beast." The dragon slurred, forcing his body to a sitting position and ignoring as more globs of blood burst from his severed arm. "_You are_…every bit…the witch says…" Caius leaned back with his remaining arm, baring his chest to the lion's eyes where a red pulsating mass appeared underneath his armor; _Etro's Heart of Chaos_. "Now… end it!" He shouted amidst his pain. "End…me! _Yeul_…" And just as abrupt as his voice regained its manic power, his tone mellowed just as abruptly as he spoke his beloved's name. "_Finally…our suffering ends…"_

The mercenary regarded the dying man's words neutrally. "You're fighting for _one_ woman?"

Caius' purple eyes trailed upwards to the man, showing only a calm tranquility as he spoke the truth. "_Yes._"

"A coincidence," A dangerous glint flashed in Squall's eyes and Caius relaxed; his eternal torment would finally end.

A tight smile twitched on Squall's lips as the image of a _scowling woman_ flashed through his mind.

"_I am, too._"

Squall brought his blade down on the eye of Caius' weapon.

Caius' eyes widened in shock when Squall shattered his eidolith. "What are-? !"

"Lightning told me, you know." Squall informed the dying man coolly. "Nobody's sure what happens when an _eidolith_ is shattered."

The shards of the broken crystal began to glow as the power contained scattered. At the same time, Caius' body convulsed and twisted in ways the body was not meant to, his every muscle fiber tearing as he screamed in pain, the blood from his arm splashing and splattering about as the bleeding still hadn't stemmed.

"But if we go by the _usual_ logic." The mercenary continued as he watched the man writhe in agony. "A broken _eidolith_ would mean a failure to complete a _Focus_."

Caius continued to scream as his remaining arm started to bulge before it burst beyond its human constraints and began to crystallize.

"Hn…" A calculating glint reflected from Squall's steel blue eyes. "So _that's_ what a Cie'th looks like."

"Baastaa_arrrd…!_" The transforming Caius slurred in agony as every muscle and bone in his body was reshaped. "_Iiiiiii'llll… kiii__**iil youuuuuu…!**_"

"You already tried." Squall grunted.

"_**Kiiiiii**_**il youuuuuuuuu….!**" The mercenary didn't even flinch as pure, unadulterated hate left the man's lips before all sense and reasoning- humanity- left him.

Squall coolly watched as the man continued to transform, growing in mass and even his severed arm began to regrow. Lightning had already explained to him of another, rarer case of _Cie'th _transformation, and so Squall was prepared for when the _Undying Caius_, now resembling a much larger, crystalline version of _Chaos Bahamut_, let out an ear-splitting roar before rearing its claw back.

Ducking under the strike, Squall once again pushed his protesting body beyond its limits as he knew he had to act quickly and end the fight before the massive _Cie'th _grew accustomed to its new body. Squall dodged to the side as the claw attempted to smash him into the ground before he jumped upwards, running along the arm with his blade poised backwards, the azure _Lionheart_ turning a brilliant shade of purple as Squall channeled his magick through the blade to superheat the weapon.

The _Undying_ _Caius_ attempted to swipe at the annoying insect with its other claw only for the man to leap over the clumsy strike and run along that arm's shoulder before jumping upwards.

"_HUUUUUAAAAAAAAGHHHH!_" Squall roared before thrusting his gunblade through the transformed Caius' forehead, before quickly withdrawing it and stabbing forward again at a spot beside it.

The _Undying_ _Caius_ stilled before dropping onto the ground in an unmoving heap, its eyes glazed over. Squall landed on his feet not a moment later before he stumbled backwards as his legs finally gave way and he fell down ungracefully fell flat on his rear, panting hard.

"_huff_…" The SeeD panted, the exertion from the entire battle finally catching up to him. But he was glad; he had won. The lion made a mental note to ask Cosmos if she could find a more permanent way around the problem concerning _Etro's Heart of Chaos._

Still, he'd ask the Goddess of Harmony later. For now, he had the right to rest easy.

He had survived through the encounter _and_ incapacitated _Caius_, albeit temporarily, as the massive beast continued to stare at him unregistering.

A lance of pain made the Warrior of Cosmos choke and cough violently before he threw his head back and fell flat on the ground. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest harder than even a beating drum, he could feel his pectorals twitching with the occasional effort, could _feel_ his bronchioles narrowing as the inflammatory soup finally exerted its effects in an attempt to repair the damage to his lungs; if he could, he'd tell his body to shut up and just let him _breathe_.

A shadow up above him gaze his glazing eyes something to focus on.

It was a massive dragon, not unlike the one _Caius _had turned into, but Squall did not at all feel threatened by its presence.

Though he did feel the urge to groan out of reflex when her metal greaves touched down beside his prone supine form with her trademark scowl gracing her lovely features. The strawberry blonde Valkyrie glanced between the immobile form of the _Undying Caius_- Etro's Heart still visible and beating on its chest- and the immobile form of the _soon-to-be_ dead Squall Leonhart with an _extremely_ displeased frown.

"I raced here as soon as I saw the first meteor." Lightning growled out, not bothering to mask her displeasure. Then again, Lightning _never_ made an effort to keep her displeasure a secret. "What the _hell_ just happened here, _Leonhart?"_

Squall found himself smirking as he wheezed out through his failing lungs, his eyes glimmering with a knowing glint as if to say that he knew something she _didn't_ know.

"Lobotomy… _works_ on Cie'th."

There was a tense pause as Lightning digested his words before letting out a tired sigh at her partner's recklessness and kneeling down beside the man to heal him.

"You _better_ get well soon because _I'm_ not explaining to everyone why the Sanctuary is _trashed_."

As Squall finally let his exhaustion claim him, he couldn't help but wryly wonder _why_ Lightning _always_ had to have the last word.

"I leave you for a _week_ to recover and _this_ happens!" Lightning grumbled to herself.

See!

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:**_Trololololol lololol lololol, ohohohoho~! Squall Leonhart versus Caius Ballad, Lionheart versus Ragnarok, black lion versus purple dragon~! Hope the fight was, er, believable~ I'm _not_ spoiling what happened in their final sword fight, since Squall won using yet _another_ tactic apart from merely punching through time's constraints. _That_ tactic will be explained when Squall goes up against Ultimecia in LTRA. If you guys _do_ want to attempt to figure it out, it's the step up from "attacking where your enemy will appear".

Now, which part of their fight was me trolling- and one of the reasons that gave birth to this story- I wonder~?

But yeah, I just felt like cutting loose and writing a plot-less whatever. Thanks to those that reviewed _A Little Bit of Forgiveness_ o/

Also, cookies to all you mythology geeks that understood the title =D

Thanks for reading this crackshot XD


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